The newspaper business was built for a world where one product served everyone and advertising paid for most of it. That model has gone. What replaces it is still being worked out title by title, from national groups to weeklies covering a single town.
Reader revenue is the clearest shift. Even Reach, which argued for free access for years, now puts some of its journalism behind a paywall, and the regional titles doing best changed their newsrooms before they asked anyone to pay. Ownership keeps changing too. National World rebuilt local editorships after years of centralisation, and the Observer is being reinvented as a premium print and digital title under new owners.
The strongest publishers understand the difference because they are not trying to be everything to everyone. They are trying to be essential to someone.
Chris Sherrard News media
Local news is where the pressure shows most. Millions of people now live without a dedicated local title, and new reader-funded and membership startups are moving into the gaps. Platforms are pulling back from news at the same time, which leaves trust and a direct relationship with readers as the assets that matter most.
Print hasn't disappeared either. Well-run weeklies still hold on to their readers, with circulation falling slowly while digital audiences grow.
Below you'll find some of our best feature articles on news media, from reader revenue and newsroom change to ownership, local news and trust, alongside our latest news and industry commentary.
Where is the growth opportunity for today’s publishers? Douglas McCabe tracks how the commercial model has evolved over the past fifty years and examines whether a better understanding of what online audiences want, will help drive future growth.
We asked Chris Sherrard, editor-in-chief of The Irish News, what does best practice publishing look like in news media? This is what he said…
After years of resisting paywalls, Reach is now launching them across its titles. But David Higgerson, Reach’s chief content officer, carefully avoided the word ‘U-turn’ when interviewed by Steve Dyson.
It’s one thing to think that readers should pay for your journalism, but the reality is that unless you improve your offering, then you will struggle to start charging for it, as DC Thomson Editor-in-Chief Frank O’Donnell tells Ciar Byrne.
How can you edit a regional newspaper when you never visit the area you’re writing about? By filling it with generic content, an approach that National World’s David Montgomery, the new owner of JPI Media, is rapidly doing away with.
Ray Snoddy talks to Co-CEO Rich Furness about the thinking behind Tortoise Media’s acquisition of the world’s oldest Sunday newspaper and about their plans for its future.
What’s the outlook for national news media in 2024? Christian Broughton, CEO of The Independent, looks ahead.
There is a new generation of entrepreneurs launching local media businesses, bringing with them new ideas on business models and funding. Phil Clark looks at some of the stand-out examples.
With Meta backing away from ‘news’ and AI accelerating the growth of disinformation, we need to redouble our efforts to safeguard access to quality journalism, says News Media Association Chief Executive Owen Meredith.
East Lothian is not just the best place to live – it has the best newsbrand too. Alan Geere heads over the border to find out what’s happening in the world of Scottish weeklies.
In a media first for Runner’s World, the running magazine published by Hearst-Rodale UK, has partnered with Puma to visually transform runnersworld.co.uk from night into day to celebrate the launch of Puma Glow.
Trinity Mirror titles in the North East have been banned for Newscastle United following coverage by The Chronicle of a protest march by fans.
The Prince of Wales will host a celebration reception at Clarence House for nominees and winners of the Nursing Times Awards.
After planting a seed in 2009 and nurturing it carefully, Informa’s Green Week has grown from a one-week to two-week celebration. It is thanks to green-conscious employees that it thrives, says the company.
News executives who believe their organisations must do a better job of engaging young people will meet in Poland in December to explore how best to go about it, with a focus on what works now and what the industry needs to do for future success.
Mustard TV is on track to start broadcasting on Freeview Channel 8 from spring 2014 with a studio under construction at Archant’s Prospect House headquarters in Norwich and new jobs now being advertised.
Chelsea Marine Magazines, publishers of Classic Boat, Sailing Today, Yachts & Yachting and The Yachting Year, has been announced as an official media partner to the annual Paris Boat Show.
Traffic across the Condé Nast Britain websites has grown from a monthly average of 860,000 unique users in 2007 to a monthly average of 8.3 million unique users year to date, it was announced yesterday at the annual Condé Nast Digital Briefing, by Ja
Yesterday, the High Court rejected the Press’ application for judicial review of the government’s Royal Charter, which was subsequently sealed by the Privy Council.
Metro has announced Carat as the winner of ‘The Big Ticket’ competition for agencies to create an integrated, multi-platform campaign for their clients to run across Metro’s print, digital and mobile platforms.
The Telegraph Media Group has renewed and strengthened its commercial partnership with the Rugby Football Union (RFU), sealing a relationship which will continue beyond the home 2015 Rugby World Cup.
The Mail on Sunday’s YOU Magazine has launched three major new advertising initiatives with leading brands, including bespoke commercial events and new product offerings.
Racing Post Connect has gone live. The new digital listings directory, which is powered by Wave2 Media Solutions, replaces an annual print publication.
The inaugural Newsworks Planning Awards attracted a total of 77 entries from 16 media agencies, including MediaCom, Carat, Mindshare, Manning Gottlieb OMD and PHD.
Dennis Publishing has promoted two of its key team members to head up its in-house app development team, Dennis Media Factory.
